Sovereign Help in Times of Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. (1 Cor. 10:13)

One of the daily challenges that we face is temptation. A prayer that we have been instructed to pray by our Lord is “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Being a believer in Jesus Christ does not exempt us from temptation. Consider the fact that our Lord Himself was subject to temptation, but that He triumphed over the evil one. In this fallen world, in our fallen natures, you can be sure that temptation will come.

How does the truth of God’s sovereignty help in times of temptation? First, let’s be clear that God is not the_ source_ of temptation. James exhorts:

Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13–15)

Second, the only temptation that comes into your life is something that has been allowed by God. Philip Ryken states:

The fact that God does not tempt us does not mean that our temptations are somehow outside of His control. God is sovereign over all the affairs of life, including every temptation to sin. Although He does not cause our temptations, He does allow them to occur.1

You will notice that temptations were part of God’s plan for His Son. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended on Him, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Instead of the accolades that one might expect to follow such a declaration, Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). It was the devil who did the tempting but the sovereign Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness.

Why was this necessary? The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:15–16).

In order to become our High Priest, He had to experience what we would experience, yet without sin. To put it in another way, no temptation has come to you that didn’t come to Jesus first. No temptation has come to you that Jesus did not resist and overcome. What does that mean to you? It is not that Jesus merely sympathizes with you as a distant onlooker but that He provides “mercy and . . . grace to help in time of need.” Jesus is in a unique position to help you. He knows what you are going through because He went through it Himself and was victorious over the diabolical tempter and over all temptations. In union with Him through the Spirit He has given, we can have the will and the strength to be victorious, too. Remember that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Earlier in the letter, the writer to the Hebrews also reminds us that “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). This is a powerful reminder that Jesus “suffered” when He was tempted. Sometimes we think that since Jesus was the God-man, resisting temptation was “easy” for Him. It was not.

Temptation was a source of suffering for Jesus, too. Remember when you are suffering under the burden of temptation that Jesus also suffered. In this, He identifies with you. By God’s grace, ask the Lord to enable you to identify with Him.

Temptation: A Promise of Help from Your Sovereign God

To be even more specific in seeing God’s sovereign help given to us when we are tempted, let’s look at a wonderful promise in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

Several principles are found in this promise.

1. There Is Nothing Extraordinary About Your Temptation

First, for every temptation that you experience, someone else has experienced it—and someone is probably experiencing it right now. Sometimes we get into a “woe is me” pity party, feeling that no one has ever been tempted like this before. To put Paul’s words another way: Every temptation you are experiencing has been experienced by somebody else. So there is nothing out of the ordinary about your temptation. The temptation to lie? Someone else has experienced that. The temptation to steal? Someone else has experienced that one, too. Your fleshly desires are tempting you to act out in sinful ways? That’s a very common one. You name it; it’s been experienced by others. If we convince ourselves that our temptation is unique, we can rationalize that it is irresistible. But we have already seen that Jesus has been tempted in the same way and has prevailed.

2. God Is Faithful in Not Allowing You to Be Tempted beyond What You Are Able

Second, you are never in a position in which sinful failure is the inevitable outcome. Of course, the ability that is spoken of is not just human willpower but the power of the Spirit at work in you. You have been given every resource that you need to withstand whatever comes your way. What resources do you have? You have the promises of God, including the one that we are highlighting now. You have the Spirit of Christ indwelling you, if you are a believer. You have the support and encouragement of the community of faith, who might share the same struggle.

It should be added at this point that if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, you don’t have a chance against temptation. You don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have an ultimate desire to please God, and you have no clue as to the potential damage that the sin you are about to commit will do to you and to those around you. I urge you to consider Jesus, who conquered temptation and death itself for all who will believe.

3. There Is Always a Way of Escape

Third, there is always a way out. What an amazing promise! Veterans of temptation know that there is an escape. The key is to take it. As Ed Welch puts it: “When a serpent comes across your path speaking lies, you should run from it or kill it. You shouldn’t sit around for a friendly chat.”2

The classic scriptural example of taking the way of escape is Joseph.3 While he served as the chief steward of Potiphar’s household, his wife tried to seduce Joseph on several occasions. Finally, a day came when Joseph and Potiphar’s wife were alone in the house, and she grabbed hold of him, begging him to sleep with her. What did he do? Did he rationalize by saying to himself, “No one will ever know” or “Just this once”? No, he ran, he literally ran, leaving his garment behind. He saw the way of escape and took it. In the story’s context, we are given insight into Joseph’s thinking in the matter. He would not give in because doing so would demonstrate disloyalty and ingratitude to Potiphar, who had given him so much. But most significant was Joseph’s realization that such behavior would be a sin against God. He said, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). Of course, Joseph’s rejection of Potiphar’s wife led to her false accusations of sexual advance, which led to his being thrown into prison.

On the other side of the “will to escape” was King David. Instead of looking for the way of escape when tempted by the sight of a beautiful woman bathing on her balcony across the way, he dove headlong into adultery.4 He could well have ignored what he saw, but instead he allowed his passion to prevail as he called for her to be brought to him. Then he added murder to his transgression, trying to cover it up by ordering the woman’s husband to be rushed to the front lines of battle, where he was sure to be killed. But God had a plan even in this.

Returning to the relevance of God’s sovereignty to all this, can’t you see that this promise would not be possible at all if God weren’t absolutely sovereign? If He weren’t sovereign over all things, He could not guarantee that the temptations you face will be manageable for you with the resources He has provided. If He weren’t sovereign, something might slip into your life while He wasn’t looking that is completely impossible for you to handle. If He weren’t sovereign over all things, He could not guarantee that there would always be a way of escape. If He weren’t the Ruler of all circumstances, you could not be sure that a scenario wouldn’t arise in which you were cornered, with no way out. No, there is always a way out because He has promised that it will be there.

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Ligonier Ministries